Documents

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The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM1726_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600004426)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises a Roman fort and temporary camp. It is being rescheduled to ensure adequate protection is given to the archaeological remains; the original scheduling documents were based on inadequate plans of the monument which have now been superseded by modern mapping.

The fort lies in pasture at around 220-250m OD, while the camp lies in arable farmland at around 225-245m OD. Excavations have shown that the fort dates from c.AD 80-100, and appears to have two structural phases. The earlier fort was square, covering an area of about 3.5 acres, and had a turf rampart with double ditch. There was a gate in each side of unusual form, the gate being set back from the rampart at the end of a funnel-shaped passage, with twin portals and square flanking towers. In the second phase, the layout of the fort remained the same but the ramparts were refaced with clay, the roads were resurfaced, and the W gate was strengthened. There is an annexe on the S of the fort, about 0.5ha in size and defended by a single rampart and ditch, which appears to be secondary. The fort has been partially ploughed down, and the ramparts of the annexe now survive as low mounds, while the ditches are nowhere deeper than about 0.5m. Some 140m N of the fort, there is a temporary camp, which covers an area of about 12.5ha. The rampart was built of puddled clay with a ditch and counterscarp bank. There was a gate in each side of the camp protected by double claviculae. The bank and ditch of the camp can still be traced in its NE corner but the rest of the defences have been ploughed down and will now only survive below ground.

The area to be scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to survive. It is divided into two areas of unequal size. The area to the S is rectangular, measuring 300m NNE-SSW by 250m transversely, and the area to the N is sub-rectangular, measuring 550m N-S by 420m transversely, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to contribute to our understanding of the Roman military campaigns in Scotland in the 1st century AD. The fort was founded at the time of Agricola's advance northwards about AD 81, and would have been in direct communication with the fort at Newstead by means of the signal-post on the summit of Eildon Hill North. It was abandoned in AD 100 when Roman troops in Scotland were withdrawn to the Tyne-Solway line. Due to its close proximity to the fort, the Roman camp to the north may have housed the labour force employed in the fort's construction.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.